13 July 2014 by Adeline Lum CM-
On 29th of June, evangelist Rev Johan Van der Westhuysen from the South African Assemblies of God shared the message of what happens when Jesus passes through our lives at Oasis Church in Ara Damansara, led by the late Pr Alex Yang and Pr Happy.
When Jesus passed by a blind man near the pool of Siloam, He gave him sight. (John 9:1-7) And when another blind man Bartimaeus heard Jesus passing by, he cried out aloud and Jesus healed him. (Mark 10:46-52) Also, when Jesus passed by and invited the tax collector Zacchaeus to have a meal together, Zacchaeus was so overjoyed that he paid back all the money he cheated. (Luke 19:1-10)
This shows us that every time when Jesus passes by, a transformation should happen!
The question we have for ourselves is: has Jesus pass by in our lives? If He has, our life should see transformation!
Rev Johan shared how Jesus passed by his and his wife’s lives many years ago. Married for 17 years, they nearly separated due to Johan’s busy work as an owner of a small mining-supply company. But when he prayed the sinner’s prayer accepting Christ into his life, Rev Johan radically transformed—he quit his job and joined Bible school to be a minister. Today, Rev Johan and his wife are traveling the world to minister!
Our life would inevitably change when Jesus Christ passes by in our life because Christ is the light of the world (John 9:5), making all sins plain at sight in comparison to His purity and perfection. The Bible says, “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Rom 3:10) In other words, everyone without Jesus Christ in his or her life is spiritually blind.
But thank God, Christ died for us while we are still sinners. (Rom 5:8) And because Christ died for us on the cross, it is the no longer us who live, but Christ lives within us. (Gal 2:20) With Christ now inside of us, we should emanate His radiant light into this world, which explains why the Bible says, “You are the light of the world” (Matt 5:14a), not you can be or will be but you are. This verse talks about us being the light of the world—not because we have any skills, talents, or achievements—but because Christ is living in us.
How our light should shine is best explained by a well-known writer named Robert Louis Stevenson. As a young boy, Robert was fascinated watching old lamplighters climbing ladders to set the street lamps ablaze. In excitement, he exclaimed to his parents, “Look at the man! He’s punching holes in the darkness!” Hence, that is how we as believers should live our life, in a way that our actions punch holes in darkness. All we need to do is to let our light shine before others through good deeds. (Matt 5:16)
Also, Rev Johan shared that this appearance of this light can cause irritation. Like how we are awakened from our sleep in a dark room by a bright source of light, our eyes are irritated with the sudden burst of light because they have already grown so accustomed to darkness. Rev Johan shared how Jesus placing the mud on the blind man’s eyes may have also caused irritation. (John 9:6)
This analogy explains why believers-in-Christ tend to irritate people who are living in darkness. The Bible says, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” (John 3:19-20)
Indeed, the light from Jesus may not only be irritating to other people but also to ourselves because it reveals to us who we are, shared Rev Johan. That is why the Bible says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb 4:12) Also, ‘there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” (Lk 8:17) In light of Christ, who we truly are lies bare before Him and ourselves.
Lastly, like a diamond that emanates lights at different angles, each of us emanates Christ light differently in unique ways. In other words, although all of us are heading towards the same direction of becoming more Christ-like, how we walk our journeys of faith is different. With that said, Rev Johan shared that we should not be too caught up with the unique ‘spiritual actions’ that people do or the ‘material’ they use (i.e., holy water, oil, etc) that we forget our faith with God is all about our relationship with Him.
For example, Rev Johan shared that prophet Elijah asked Naaman to wash himself in the Jordan River for seven times to heal from leprosy. And again, the man who was blind in the book of John, was asked to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam. Does that mean that every leper and blind man should wash themselves in the Jordan River and pool of Siloam respectively to be healed? The answer is no.
But Rev Johan shared how many of us have busily built a religion, instead of a relationship with God? In other words, have we place more faith and trust in our religious practices and things than Jesus Christ Himself?
Indeed, in the Bible, we can see how the Lord asked different people perform different actions to accomplish His Plan and to bring Him glory. But all of them have one common denominator; that is all of them have a relationship with God.
Simply put, another person’s faith story might not be your story, be it in work, providence or finding a life partner, etc.
All we need to do is to focus in building a relationship with God through knowing Him more through the Bible and also communicating with Him everyday. And when we have a close relationship with God, we would be able to hear and discern His Voice on what to do in our lives.
And yes, lastly if we can communicate with the Living God everyday, that would be the brightest light to our family and friends who have yet to know Christ!
Rev Johan ended his message by praying the sinner’s prayer with the congregation of Oasis Church at Ara Damansara, led by the late Pr Alex Yang and his wife, Pr Happy.
NOTE: This article is written from the perspective and interpretation of the writer, to condense and accentuate the ideas of the pastor in a more understandable and readable way.
ABOUT SPEAKER: Rev Johan responded to the call of world evangelism in year 2001, having ministered in the UK, Netherlands, France, India, Nepal, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil, Malawi, Botswana, Swaziland, Mozambique, and South Africa. They are presently ministering under the umbrella of the South African Assemblies of God and they are both members of the South African Association of Evangelists. They have three sons and two daughters. Visit http://www.wtwministries.co.za for more information.
| Share the Good News |
Leave a Reply